[Participation of the adrenals in the pathogenesis of metabolic acid-base disorders]

The authors examined in dynamics the changes in the functional state of the adrenals on 240 rabbits, which served as models for acute metabolic deviations in the acid-base balance. The obtained results showed that the acute metabolic acidosis increased moderately the values of ACTH and 17-hydroxycorticosteroids in blood without changing their concentration on the adrenal tissue. It lowered strongly the content of catecholamines (adrenaline and noradranaline) in the adrenal medular part. The metabolic alkalosis raised the concentration of ACTH in blood plasma and increased the amount of corticosteroids in blood and adrenals. There was no well formed parallelism in normalizing acid-base and hormonal indices. As a consequence of this a stage of postaciodotic catecholamine adrenal deficit was formed as well as metabasic hypercorticism in the experimental animals.